HIST 166 The Age of Washington and DuBois (Same as Africana Studies 166) (Not offered 2006-2007; to be offered 2007-2008) (W)*
The beginning of the twentieth century saw the rise of two influential African
American thinkers, W. E. B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington. The intellectual and social programs that the two offered as solutions to the "race problem" are
often seen as diametrically opposed to one another. This course will begin with
an examination of the writings and intellectual production of these two men. Did
they share a common ground? What were their responses and solutions to "the
Negro question"? How did their ideas take effect? We will also set their work
into an African American historical context, examining concurrent social developments such as the mass migration of African Americans to northern cities, the
workings of the sharecropping system, and the cultural production of African
American film and music artists in the first decades of the twentieth century.
Readings will include works by Washington and DuBois, autobiographies of
lesser-known Black figures in this era, and works by and about Black women at
this time. We will also listen to early blues music and view films.
Format: seminar. Evaluation will be based on class participation, several short
papers, and a final exam.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 19). Preference will be given to first-year
students, and then sophomores, who have not previously taken a 100-level seminar.
Group A